Hi friends, and thanks for stopping by to read how to avoid travel mistakes that make you a target.
I think most of us know about common sense when it comes to travel.
Leave your expensive, flashy jewellery at home. Same goes for expensive camera equipment. Common sense. If you look rich, you will become a target for thieves.
Everyone has heard about how Kim Kardashian was robbed in Paris, France in 2016. The robbers stole about $10 million dollars in jewellery. Even more terrifying, Kim was alone in the apartment during the invasion. This must have been a very traumatic experience for her.
Nobody reading this blog can relate to that kind of wealth. If thieves hold you up at gunpoint and force you to withdraw all the money in your bank account – all $200 of it – it’s still a terrifying experience.
I’m a senior solo female traveller. I don’t want to make mistakes that target me for theft, extortion, kidnapping, or worse. Here’s how I stay safe and enjoy my adventures.
No flashy jewellery
I’ve never been a girly girl and never had much interest in jewellery. A thief looking at my fingers will never see a ring for a quick grab and pull. The last time I wore a ring was in junior high school. Who else remembers mood rings? We all wore them!
I wear a necklace with a St. Christopher pendant, the patron saint of travellers. On the back of the pendant it says: “St. Christopher will keep you safe no matter what happens.”
So far, so good!
OK, maybe I’m putting a little too much faith in a pendant – ha ha! – it’s usually out of sight beneath my shirt. I don’t even take it off when I sleep.
We’re not talking big bucks here. It cost me $50 on Amazon. Sure, I’d be disappointed if it gets stolen or ripped off my neck, but it won’t be the end of the world for me. It’s not expensive and there’s no emotional attachment.
I wear a Garmin Solar Instinct watch, which I bought in 2022 specifically for travelling. My nomad kick-off travel plans involved locations with lots of sun (Spain, the Caribbean) and I thought the watch would be perfect. The sun would keep it charged, meaning I wouldn’t have to use the actual charger much. Well, not so much. The sun keeps it a bit charged, but every 3 weeks I’m still charging it up.
It’s the most expensive watch I’ve bought – around $300. Sure, I’d be annoyed if it goes missing or is stolen, but not likely to happen because I never take it off. It tracks my sleep, so it’s the first watch I’ve never taken off at bedtime. A robber would physically have to rip it off my wrist. I have no emotional attachment to the watch. If I’m held up at gunpoint – the thieves can have it.
After two years of wearing the Garmin, a rash has appeared on my left wrist. I’ve taken to wearing the watch on my right wrist now – no rash has appeared. When I switch the Garmin Instinct back to my left wrist, the rash returns. Very annoying. But like I said, if I’m held up and the thieves want my watch, this will not be a disaster.
Wearing expensive jewellery or watches that will be a traumatic loss is a travel mistake you don’t want to make.
I’m going to stand out as a tourist when I travel in South America. A gringo. Or maybe that’s the feminine tense – a gringa – a female foreigner. I want to look like a poor gringo instead of a gringo to target for a crime.
Clothes
Let’s talk about clothes. My whole life I’ve been a blue jeans and T-shirt kind of girl. Designer brands? Ha ha! Maybe unintentionally.
However, for the fashion conscious, wearing designer brands is a travel mistake you don’t want to make and become an easy target for thieves.
Let’s talk about my “designer” brands.
I wear Levis jeans and I have a packable Columbia jacket. I have a Wrangler sweater. Here’s a photo where I’m wearing all these designer clothes.
When I was volunteering on Mayreau Island, my Levis shorts that I bought the year before got trashed. Thanks to the dogs jumping up on them and only able to hand wash my clothes. When I stayed at an AirBnb, the host added my shorts to a load she was putting through her washing machine. She got them as good as they can get, and declared them “well loved”. But they’re perfect for travel so I won’t look like a target. I’m wearing them in this video where I help out a goat. LOL – you can also see my St. Christopher pendant!
I get it. When travelling anywhere, we want to look nice. We want to wear clothes that make us look and feel good – in colors we love.
Sure, in some parts of the world, that won’t be a problem. However, in countries where there are poor people and there’s a possibility of being the victim of theft, we don’t want to stand out.
This means wearing plain clothes in neutral colors. I love bright purple and pink but these are colors I won’t be wearing on an upcoming trip to South America. There’s no way I want to make a travel mistake with my clothes and wear anything that screams “target!”
Shoes
Sometimes I refer to myself as the Imelda Marcos of backpackers – ha ha!
Here’s a photo of me travelling with all my worldly belongings.
As you can see, I’m rocking a pair of pink cowboy boots. Inside that suitcase is a pair of blue cowboy boots. These ones!
Neither of these cowboy boots are going to South America with me. Seeing as how I became a car nomad, I have a place where I can leave my things instead of hauling all my worldly belongings with me.
When I was on Mayreau Island, one of the residents told me that they always look at a person’s shoes to get an idea of how rich they are.
Hmmm… good point. Shoes are a travel mistake that could make us targets.
Generally speaking, I think shoes are a sign of the wearer’s personality and not their wealth.
I recognize that my colorful cowboy boots will attract attention. Whenever I wear them, I get compliments. Wearing them in some parts of the world is a travel mistake that could target me.
When I head to South America, I will bring Roper Kiltie runners. I wore them on the Camino de Santiago, excellent hiking boots. Several thousand more kilometers were walked all over Mayreau Island and Europe.
Alas, they wore out in a weird spot halfway up the heel of my left shoe.
I would have thought the sole would have worn out or the stitching come out between the sole and the shoe. These shoes are excellent for hiking, casual strolls around town, and horseback riding. My first pair lasted me 20 years. The place I normally buy them from online is sold out, but I am keeping my eye out. I need another pair of Ropers very soon.
Money belt
Staying on the topic of items to wear, I recommend not wearing a purse. I’ve been using a slim fanny pack for a few years. Cost me about $20 on Amazon. If I’m wearing hiking pants or shorts I can wear it inside my pants, otherwise I keep it beneath my shirt.
The photo of me wearing it on my horse is a different matter. No one is going to hop up on the horse to rob me!
Here I am talking about the fanny pack on YouTube.
Whether you choose a money belt, fanny pack, or cross body bag – wear it beneath your clothes for security. Avoid travel mistakes that make you a target by holding your purse in your hand or draped across one shoulder.
Be aware of your surroundings. I constantly look over my shoulder or turn around when walking in a new city. I’m looking for people riding bicycles that might be doing a grab and run. Keep an ear out for motorcyclists coming up behind you. The rider can grab your phone or bag and be gone in seconds.
Money
Speaking of cashola, be very careful about letting others see how much money you have inside your wallet. If someone watches you pull a bunch of $50 and $100 bills just to get to a fiver to pay for a snack, this travel mistake that could target you for robbery.
So, where do we get our money when we travel? Sometimes we can purchase foreign currency in our home country. Most airports have currency exchanges – at outrageous conversions. Avoid!
It’s nice to arrive in a foreign country with a few bucks of the local currency, but it’s not always possible to find prior to departure.
The most common place to get local currency when travelling is at a bank’s ATM. If your debit card doesn’t work, most bank machines accept major credit cards. There will likely be a transaction fee at the time of withdrawal, and your credit card company will probably ding you again.
For your safety, if the bank has an inside ATM – use it. Not all banks have machines inside their doors. For example, on Union Island (St. Vincent & The Grenadines) there is only one bank and it has two ATMs attached to the outside wall.
I had trouble with that ATM the second time I tried to withdraw cash. If possible, travel with another bank’s debit card just in case you run into technical issues.
When I was walking the Camino de Santiago, I spent the night in Sarria, about 100 kilometers from the finish line. I needed to get cash out of the ATM before I began walking that day. There was a bank on my way out of town, on a fairly busy street. The ATM was on the outside wall. This wouldn’t have been a big deal except there was a man leaning on the wall near the ATM. Always evaluate your situation. Using an outside ATM is probably OK in many circumstances, but keep an eye out for loiterers. You can always find another machine.
When I’m shopping or dining, I try to avoid pulling out my wallet and showing any cash or credit cards. Instead I use my iPhone wallet as much as I can. Not every business has a machine that can take wireless technology. And others are slow to the start line. Walmart Canada only changed up their payment machines within the past two years to allow this new technology. I have my debit and credit cards loaded onto my phone’s wallet. For extra security, my iPhone needs a face ID before completing the purchase. All is good.
Except in those places that only take cash – yeah I’m looking at you St. Vincent & The Grenadines! Or if the point of sale machine doesn’t take wireless, you’ll need to pull out an actual card to pay. And try to remember your PIN…
Phone
This leads into phone safety, especially when travelling in poorer countries.
Everyone always has their phone out talking, texting, taking selfies, or getting directions.
I’m guilty of pulling out my iPhone every time I get off a train in Europe and walking to my hotel or tourist attraction. I’ve got the Map open and getting directions to where I’m going.
There are travel alerts about some countries where tourists are victims of having their phones snatched.
Let’s state the first obvious thing. Don’t set your phone down on a table. And especially don’t walk away if you’ve set your phone down somewhere.
Some countries have a problem with people on bikes and motorbikes who will grab the phone out of your hands and ride off real fast.
Think about it if you lose your phone. All my photos are backed up to the Cloud, so that’s the least of my problems. But all my plane tickets, hotel reservations, Wallet, and so much more are stored on the phone. It would be extremely inconvenient to lose that phone. Not to mention the expense of buying a new one.
Suggestions when travelling in countries where phone theft is a problem?
Keep your main phone in a safe place, like that fanny pack under your clothes. Or in the safe in your hotel room.
Bring an old phone while travelling and that’s the one you show in public while checking the Map or taking photos. Technology might be too old to use an eSim, so that means buying a Sim in the foreign country.
I’m looking at buying a cross body lanyard that I can wear under my vest. See this one on Amazon as an example. (Disclosure: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you click the link and make a purchase at Amazon, I will receive a small commission for the referral.)
It comes in a 2-pack and costs less than $20. If I wear it as a cross body and a biker tries to snatch it, I’m pretty sure my weight will throw the biker off balance. Maybe they’ll pull me off balance, too, and I’ll fall down, but I’ll still have my phone!
The other piece of advice is if you need to check directions on your phone, step inside a shop before pulling out your phone. Read the directions, walk a bit, and repeat.
Hotel versus AirBnb
I’m a nomad and will often stay in one place for several weeks or months at a time. Usually AirBnb is cheaper for long term stays with many hosts giving discounts if you stay a week, a month, or longer.
Yup, frugal me loves saving money on accommodations!
I stayed three weeks in an apartment in Lo Pagan, Spain that I found on AirBnb. I’ve also spent a night or two in AirBnbs in England. When it comes to England, I don’t find AirBnbs all that more cheaper than a hotel. It’s just sometimes they are more convenient, especially to train or underground stations.
As a solo female traveller, hotels are generally safer. It’s especially important to choose a hotel with 24 hour reception. That way there will always be someone in the lobby in case of trouble.
When looking for a hotel to stay, I can not afford the most expensive option that usually runs hundreds of dollars a night. I also do not choose the cheapest hotel around, but I still like to get a good deal! It’s a hard act to balance. I check the hotel on sites like Trip Advisor, Booking dot com, and Expedia and read reviews of what other guests have to say. A person complaining about a lack of ice cubes is less important than a guest complaining the area is unsafe to walk and has sketchy characters hanging out nearby.
Check government website for travel information
One of the things I do when researching a country to travel to is check out travel advisories and information. In my case, I search for Canadians travelling to that country. Entry requirements will be different depending on your nationality when it comes to visas, vaccines, and safety.
The government of Canada has travel information for its citizens online. Governments of other countries post similar information online.
I don’t want to show up somewhere and discover I failed to obtain a visa before arrival and be denied entry.
For example, Canadians (and Americans, Australians, and some other nationalities) now require an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to enter the United Kingdom and it costs £16. I have downloaded the app and before I travel back to England (roughly estimated late 2026) I will buy it and it’s good for two years.
Here is the current travel alert for Peru, where I will be later this year.
There is currently a state of emergency in some areas until mid-July, 2025. This is a country that often has demonstrations and strikes.
Peru has problems with petty crime such as pickpockets and phone and purse snatching. There are instances of violent crime.
Peru is not everyone’s dream destination with all these alerts! However, many solo female travellers have felt very safe in Peru and I feel comfortable travelling there. I will stick to tourist areas and be vigilant of my safety and keeping my belongings secure.
How I avoid travel mistakes that make me look like a target
Wrapping up almost everything I’ve written above, one thing I do when I’m out and about when I travel is that I try my best to look like a poor tourist. Yes, I am a poor gringo, or make that gringa in the feminine form! Pobre gringa.
I wear neutral colored clothes, at times unattractive clothing, and don’t wear jewellery, other than the St. Christopher pendant that’s usually under my shirt, and a watch.
As much as I would love to book an AirBnb in Peru, due to safety concerns, I will only be staying in hotels, preferably with 24 hour reception, in safe tourist areas where other people are around.
I have a vest that I wear on airlines that has inside pockets and I wear it sometimes when I’m out walking around town and checking out tourist destinations. If it’s a hot day and I’m wearing a T-shirt, I can still wear that vest, and if nothing else, it will cover up my fanny pack.
Do you have any other tips that you use to avoid travel mistakes and looking like a target? Leave a comment below!
xoxo
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on June 26, 2025.
[…] sure you read my article about not attracting attention to yourself and becoming a target for robbery. Or […]